Month: August 2013

TEN Rules, TEN Prizes, TEN Ideas!!

I am a FIRM believer that there are WAY more good and kind people in this world than bad. No one, not even the nightly news or all the media in the universe will ever convince me otherwise – even if they do try to shove bad things down my…. Well, you get the idea. But, we can always add to that goodness, right? So, I decided to make a contest that will show those Random Acts of Kindness and hopefully encourage others to keep it up. (And introduce people to the Whatif Monster and Bob is a Unicorn because, well, people NEED to meet them, right?)

TEN Contest Rules

1. Perform an ANONYMOUS random act of kindness for a STRANGER. Not your husband, your wife, your child, your sibling. It’s awesome if you do nice things for them and all, but dude, aren’t we already SUPPOSED to be nice to our families? Okay, maybe not so much when they have not done the dishes or cleaned their room or…. Heh. I will, however, give you some wiggle room for a neighbor.

2. You must leave the note (shown above) I am giving you to use somehow with the act. I am giving you a template to download, or you can just copy the words on to a scrap of paper. Get the 8.5×11 template to print here: KindnessActs PDF or as jpg to download that is at the bottom of this post. You MUST use this note for the contest. This will help with the hashtags so people can find out more about Bob and The Whatif Monster if they want to. (You can email me to have me email you the file as well if you are having problems downloading.)

3. Take a picture of the note before the act or after. For instance, if you are at a drive-thru and picking up the tab for the car behind you, take a picture of the note at the drive thru window. Or take a picture with the drive-thru attendant. If you simply cannot take a picture, you can describe your act in the comments of this blog post or a Facebook status, or even post it on my FB wall- if you are going to be super awesome and do this, but don’t have a phone that can take pics or a digital camera I am not going to penalize you. How mean would THAT be? But a picture is really preferable. And more fun for all of us to see!

4. Post the picture to Twitter, Facebook, and/or Instagram with the hashtags #WhatifMonster and #BobisaUnicorn. You can also comment on this blog post and say what your random act was. Each time you post somewhere it counts as a separate entry – and more chances to win. For instance, you can post your picture of your note you are leaving to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and leave a comment on this blog entry. That one Random Act of Kindness just got you 4 contest entries. Go YOU!

5. You can perform AS MANY Random Acts of Kindness as you would like! And each one is another chance to win!

6. Past acts of kindness, while I love you very, very much for doing them, don’t count. You have to leave the note somehow with the act.

7. Children may enter – Parents must supervise/help. This is an AWESOME activity to do with your kids, right??

8. Your Random Act of Kindness does NOT have to cost you any money at all. Hopefully it will bring a smile to another fellow human being and they perhaps will begin to realize that there are a lot of really awesome, good and kind people in this world. And maybe they will pass it forward. BONUS!

9. The contest runs for 10 days – ending Sunday, August 11, 2013 at midnight. Why ten days? Because I have ten days left of Jillian Michaels to do and this will keep me on track. Plus there are ten rules and ten prizes. Ten seemed like a theme, y’all – and I really want to finish this 30 Day Shred without skipping another day. 😉

10. Winners will be picked on Monday, August 12, 2013 using a random number generator. Each entry across all social media will be given a separate number. 10 winners will be chosen. I will contact you via your user name or email that is provided. If you don’t respond back within 24-48 hours or so I will have to choose another winner. But I am sure we’ll work it out, don’t stress or anything about being exactly available. I am pretty nice and flexible. I promise.

TEN PRIZES! Just for being NICE, y’all!

1. Signed hardback copy of Bob is a Unicorn 2. Signed hardback copy of Jonathan James and the Whatif Monster 3. Bob is a Unicorn Plushie 4. Whatif Monster Plushie (Kane Miller/Usborne Books and More version) 5. Whatif Monster Plushie (Limited edition, collectible, numbered artist version plushie) 6. Whatif Monster Plushie (Limited edition, collectible, numbered artist version plushie) 7. A hand-painted original piece of art by me. (might be painted on paper, or a painted canvas.) 8. A hand-painted original piece of art by me. (might be painted on paper, or a painted canvas.) 9. A Whatif Monster necklace and Whatif Monster Key Chain 10. A Bob is a Unicorn necklace and Whatif Monster Key Chain

I know! TEN prizes! Just for being a nice person! Because y’all are SO AWESOME!! Prizes will be awarded in the order they are won. I would let you choose, but that could get all kinds of crazycakes, so I better not offer that.

Need ideas for Random Acts of Kindness? TEN IDEAS!!

1. Pick up the tab for the person behind you at a drive thru. Get their coffee, their burger, their chicken sandwich. Take a pic of your note at the drive-thru and give it to the person and ask them to give it to the car behind you when they say their coffee or meal is free.

2. Pick or buy a bouquet of flowers and leave it on a neighbor’s step or a stranger’s car with the note. Take a picture.

3. Leave the note with an envelope with a $5 bill that says, this is for a Coke, tea or cup of coffee on a stranger. Leave it somewhere someone will find it. Take a picture!

4. Buy a gift certificate at a bookstore or a grocery store or a movie theater for $10 (or whatever amount) and give it to the cashier and ask them to use on the third person, second person, fifth person behind you.

5. Buy a yellow helium balloon and draw a smiley face on it and leave the note on a car windshield. Dude, who doesn’t like happy face balloons?? Take a picture! That one will make us all so happy!

6. If you are a child, draw a picture that makes you happy and ask your mom and dad to figure out how to leave it somewhere for a stranger – think, librarian, book store worker, a mom or dad at a playground or jumpy house. Just leave it in an envelope at a table that says, “A Random Act of Kindness for YOU Inside!”

7. Look up the address of the local dog rescue, buy a big bag of dog food and/or cat food and leave it on their door with the note after hours.

8. Make or buy a card that has a quote you love – uplifting or funny or whatever inspires you and leave it in an envelope on a random car in a parking lot.

9. Walk into a Waffle House (or some other restaurant) and go to the counter and ask the waitress if you can pay the bill for someone that is almost done but not gotten their check yet. Give her the note to give to the customer instead of their check.

10. Tip a waiter or waitress 100% at your next meal and leave the note in the little check folder thingie. Bring cash with you so you can just leave cash in it and walk out before she picks it up.

Getting the idea? I am sure you can think of a bunch more! I can’t wait to hear all about it.

My Random Act of Kindness:
I did my first one yesterday when I dropped off my daughter at the movies with her friends. I admit, mine was a pricey one, but I wanted to pay for two tickets – cause ya know, most people go to the movies in pairs. You do NOT have to spend a cent to do this contest, just use your imagination to show someone kindness exists. 🙂

I printed out my note, bought an online gift certificate for enough for two movie tickets that worked at the theater I was dropping my daughter off at. I went up to the ticket agent and said, “Can you give this to the next person that comes up to the line?” She smiled and said that was so awesome and she totally would! Her smile alone was worth it and she wasn’t getting anything! Here are pics from mine.